Why visit Tywyn
Townapedia lists 5 museums and landmarks, 8 parks and trails, 24 places to eat, 18 places to stay and 11 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Dolgoch Falls, Corlan Fraith, Talyllyn Railway and Narrow Gauge Railway Museum.
Weather in Tywyn
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Tywyn
Tywyn (; Welsh pronunciation: [ˈtəu̯ɨn]), formerly spelled Towyn, is a town, community, and seaside resort on the Cardigan Bay coast of southern Gwynedd, Wales. It was previously in the historic county of Merionethshire. It is famous as the location of the Cadfan Stone, a stone cross with the earliest known example of written Welsh, and the home of the Talyllyn Railway. It has a population of 3,133 in the 2021 UK Census.
From the Wikipedia article Tywyn (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Travel tips from other travellers: Tywyn on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Things to do11
Pantri Dysynni
Farm and orchard
Mo 09:00-15:00; Tu-Fr 09:00-17:00; Sa 09:00-15:00
Museums and landmarks5
Talyllyn Railway
Museum
A museum of narrow gauge railways. Opening days and times may vary.
Wharf Station, Tywyn
Mo-Su 09:30-15:30
Narrow Gauge Railway Museum
Museum
Museum in Tywyn, Wales, United Kingdom
Parks, trails and playgrounds8
Restaurants and cafes24
The Retreat Bar & Pizzeria
Bar and pub · Pizza
Mo-Tu, Th 13:00-21:00; Fr-Sa 13:00-22:00
12 more on the map.
History
The name derives from the Welsh tywyn ('beach, seashore, sand-dune'). The place-name element tywyn is found in many other parts of Wales, most notably Towyn near Abergele and Porth Tywyn (Burry Port).
In Middle Welsh, the spelling was generally Tywyn. In the Early Modern period, however, the spelling Towyn was common in Welsh in order to reflect a slight variation in pronunciation. That also came to be the usual spelling in English up to the latter part of the twentieth century.
With the standardisation of the orthography of the Welsh language in the first part of the 20th century, the spelling Tywyn became increasingly common in all contexts. In 1967, members of Towyn Urban Council voted to request that the town be officially called Tywyn and in July 1967 this was accepted by Merionethshire County Council. Opponents of the change, however, campaigned against it and held an unofficial plebiscite in Tywyn on 25 May 1968. This was organised and financed by tradespeople and the campaign to revert to the spelling Towyn. Those who took part in the vote were asked to decide between Tywyn or Towyn – a large majority of those who voted favoured Towyn. As a result, Tywyn Urban Council (as it had become) requested that the decision to use Tywyn be revisited. In June 1969, this request was declined by Merionethshire County Council and thus the name has remained as Tywyn.
Read more of the history
The spelling Tywyn better reflects the name's history and the standard orthography of modern Welsh. Writing in 1967, Melville Richards, the noted toponymist and professor of Welsh at the University College of North Wales, Bangor stated that 'in modern Welsh the form should be uniformly "yw" and therefore, Tywyn is the most acceptable spelling for this name which means a strand or seashore'. In 1974, he further commented: 'Mae'r holl ymrafael ynglŷn â sillebu'r enw wedi codi am fod cryn ansicrwydd ac amrywio yn Gymraeg gynt rhwng y seiniau ow ac yw. Ond yn ddiddadl, Tywyn yw'r ffurf gywir' ('All of the disagreement about spelling the name arises from the historic uncertainty and variation in Welsh between the sounds ow and yw. But, without doubt, Tywyn is the correct form').
In Welsh, the town is sometimes referred to as Tywyn Meirionnydd. In origin, this usage probably refers to the cantref of Meirionnydd, but is now generally understood as referring to the historical county of the same name. In English, during the late nineteenth century and until the middle of the twentieth century, the town was sometimes called Towyn-on-Sea.
From the History section of Tywyn on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Notable people from Tywyn
David LloydWelsh politician, born 1956Photo: National Assembly for Wales from Wales, CC BY 2.0
Griffith EvansWelsh bacteriologist (1835-1935)Photo: Unknown author, CC BY 4.0- Griffith HughesWelsh cleric and naturalist
- Robin DaviesBritish actor (1954-2010)
- Martin J. BallAmerican academic
- Rob DaviesWelsh footballer (born 1987)
- Carole Seymour-JonesWelsh writer (1943-2015)
- Edward Ernest HughesBritish historian
Born in Tywyn, according to Wikidata (CC0). Each name links to its Wikipedia article.
Where to stay18
Churches and places of worship7
Shopping10
Gas and EV charging1
Schools, colleges and libraries4
Healthcare2
Map of Tywyn
90 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
RAF Valley - Anglesey Airport (VLY) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 49 miles away.
- Borth 7 mi south, about 11 min by car
- Barmouth 10 mi north, about 16 min by car
- Machynlleth 10 mi east, about 16 min by car
- Bow Street 10 mi south, about 17 min by car
- Aberystwyth 12 mi south, about 19 min by car
- Dolgellau 14 mi northeast, about 22 min by car
- Llanilar 16 mi south, about 26 min by car
- Harlech 19 mi north, about 30 min by car
- Porthmadog 24 mi north, about 38 min by car
- Pwllheli 25 mi northwest, about 40 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Towns near Tywyn
,_Tywyn,_Gwynedd,_Wales_09.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
_Wellcome_L0002989.jpg){kind=link}
Keep exploring
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- Mapillary (see each image): photos
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Tywyn, Gwynedd - Eglwys Sant Cadfan (St Cadfan's Church), Tywyn, Gwynedd, Wales 09, Llywelyn2000, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Tywyn - 2008-03-18, Voice of Clam, Public domain
- Dolgoch Falls - 2007-09-01, Voice of Clam, Public domain
- Ynyslas Sand Dunes 1, Badgernet, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Eglwys Cadfan, Tywyn, RwthTomos1948, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Church Of St Mary And St Egryn, Probinaries, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Narrow Gauge Railway Museum - 2008-03-18, Voice of Clam, Public domain
- Boer War Memorial - Tywyn, Peter_Glyn, CC0
- Whitehall Hotel, Peter Glyn, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Tredegar Arms, Probinaries, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Tywyn Baptist Church, Peter_Glyn, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Bethel Chapel, Probinaries, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Street-level photo, trigpoint, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, trigpoint, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, trigpoint, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, trigpoint, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, trigpoint, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, trigpoint, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, trigpoint, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, trigpoint, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, trigpoint, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, trigpoint, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, trigpoint, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, trigpoint, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, trigpoint, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, trigpoint, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, trigpoint, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, trigpoint, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, trigpoint, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, trigpoint, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, trigpoint, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, trigpoint, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, trigpoint, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, trigpoint, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, trigpoint, CC BY-SA 4.0
Page built November 10, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.